Now in its fourth decade, the Discerning Eye is one of the UK's most celebrated open exhibitions, bringing together small-scale works by artists from across the country for an annual show at the Mall Galleries in London. What sets it apart is the curatorial model. Six prominent figures from across the art world, artists, critics and collectors, each curate their own section of the exhibition independently, resulting in six smaller shows within the whole. Some works are personally invited by a selector; the remainder come through open submission, giving emerging artists a real chance to hang alongside established names. You only need to catch the eye of one. The 2026 selectors are Hugh Bonneville, Jasmine Pradissitto, Jon Sharples, Kelvin Okafor, Martin Robinson and Mel Gerlis. Last year's edition was the largest in the exhibition's history, featuring more than 730 artworks by 529 artists from 6,500 entries. This year's prizes total over £9,100 across 13 awards. All works must be no larger than 50cm in any direction and available for sale. All media welcome. The exhibition runs at the Mall Galleries from 14 to 21 November 2026, with a virtual exhibition until 1 January 2027. The deadline for submissions is 27 August 2026.
